Summer Classes a Great Option for Many Reasons

There are many reasons that students attend summer classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Students who are enrolled in other colleges and universities often return home for the summer and have the time to take classes to stay on track for graduation. Kalamazoo Valley makes becoming a guest student easy. “Students need to complete an online Kalamazoo Valley application, and identify themselves as a guest student,” said Valley’s Director of Admissions, Registration and Records Sarah Hubbell.

These students will receive an acceptance letter within one week containing the information they need to register for classes through the college’s self-service online portal. Tuition bills are available online and payment can be made online, on campus, or by mail. To apply, students should visit www.kvcc.edu/apply.

Before enrolling, guest students should consult with their current college or university to ensure that the classes they take at Kalamazoo Valley will be accepted as transfer credit and fit their specific area of study. Once they have completed summer course work, students need to be sure to submit a request to have an official transcript sent back to their primary institution.

According to Dean of Liberal Arts Dr. Billy Reynolds, popular classes for summer guest students include MUS 102 History of Rock n’ Roll, COM 101 Public Speaking, HUM 205 Mythology, ENG 220 Creative Writing, and ENG 244 Literature for Adolescents. “Students tell us they want to get basic classes out of the way during summer months so that they can concentrate on other classes during the school year,” Reynolds said.

Because she wants to graduate in three years with a bachelor’s degree, Western Michigan University student Emily Mixis believes that taking classes at Valley is a great way to spend part of the summer. She said, “I recommend taking the harder classes of your degree at Kalamazoo Valley because you will be in smaller-sized classes and have more personal faculty attention.” Mixis, a 2017 Mattawan High School graduate, is no stranger to Valley, “I choose to dual enroll at Valley while still in high school because it gave me a head start going into college. I took college classes my senior year of high school so I had an easier transition to Western. I’m glad I started at Valley, I’m a better student,” Mixis said.

Guest students are not the only ones who benefit from taking summer classes. “Many of our community college students enroll in summer semester classes to keep on pace to complete their programs in a timely manner,” said Dean of Math and Science Dr. Paige Eagan. “The summer semester allows students to focus on rigorous courses required for many of our programs,” Eagan said. “In my area, statistics, calculus courses, and general chemistry are popular with students,” Eagan continued. Other top course picks for students include PHY 111/112 College Physics, BIO 130 Microbiology, and BIO 110 Anatomy and Physiology.”

According to Director of Enrollment Management E. J. Bast, “The benefits of taking summer classes at Kalamazoo Valley are endless. Not only does this help students stay on track for graduation or get ahead in their program, they can also take advantage of our affordable tuition and small class sizes while completing classes that are offered in a shorter time frame than in a standard semester.”

Even if you are not starting a degree program or scheduling classes to get ahead or keep on track for completion, summer semester classes at Valley are available to everyone. Registration for summer classes is available now and classes start on Monday, May 7. Online class registration is available at www.kvcc.edu/register.